I solve throat and voice problems from the viewpoint of a kineticist.

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Monthly Archives: May 2015

I sometimes see people sing a song while crying.
In my opinion, it is okay if a person sings while crying in a karaoke bar just for fun. I do not advise in crying when singing at a concert. This is because the role of a professional singer is to let the audience listen to their singing and view it as a dedicated career or entertainment job performace.
It is acceptable for members of an audience to cry listening to a singer perform, but not a singer when singing.
Singing when crying is not good for vocalizing.
Vocalization production involves muscle movements and we use a lot of muscles and the sympathetic effect to move muscles around the larynx or diaphragm.
If you become too emotional when singing, the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) becomes more active than the sympathetic nervous system, and that makes you cry.
The PNS can be thought of as the resting reflex part of the autonomic nervous system. Its role is to slow down the heart rate, that’s why, your muscles dull and relax. Hardened muscles get hard to control pitch and breathing.
You cannot let your voice out easily with this kind of condition.
Note:The cricothyroid muscle is controlled by the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve, and the diaphragm is controlled by the phrenic nerve.
Please strongly keep in mind that you have to make an impression on listeners by your voice when you sing.
Please don’t cry when singing, let the audience cry and be moved emotionally by your singing.

As a Keneticist specializing in Laryngeal Anantomy and Advanced Vocalization Care in Japan, I’ve touched the larynxes of thousands of people and heard their voices.
I can identitfy and classify what kind of voice they have only with touching the larynx.
I investigate (A)The size of the thyroid cartilage i:width ii:back and front iii:length (B)Analyzation of the difinitve angles of the thyroid cartilage (C)The movable angles of the cricothyroid articulation (D)The static position of the hyoid bone and mandible.
I’ll explain the shape of the thyroid cartilage relevant to the condition standards of a good voice.
A:The size of the thyroid cartilage i:width

Front

A:The size of the thyroid cartilage i:back and front

Side

A:The size of the thyroid cartilage ii:length

Side

B:Analyze the difinitive angles of the thyroid cartilage

Right above

C:The movable angles of the cricothyroid articulation

Side

D)The static position of the hyoid bone and mandible

Diagonally forward

Bigger thyroid cartilage, in turn, produces better vocals sounds. This is because the space of the resonance chamber becomes bigger in the thyroid cartilage, primarily when the vibrating area of the vocal cord increases.
This is same with musical instruments. The instrument’s sound range, depth and volume depend on the size of the instrument itself.
However, a point that must be realized is that you need throat and neck muscle strength to support having big thyroid cartilage.
I would recommend you to investigate your throat. Make sure that you can use 100% of your muscles properly without pain or strain.
It is a shame if someone has good shaped thyroid cartilage but is not fully utilizing it through great singing!

The hyoid bone is different with each person regarding thickness, shape, and the distance between the hyoid bone and the thyroid cartilage.
The shapes are classified in roughly 3 groups. They are as follows.
(1)U shape:Is the most popular shape. A lot of people have a ‘U shape’ hyoid bone.

(2)V shape:This is also a popular shape, especially in people that have a good voice. The majority of professional singers, have V shape hyoid bones. ‘V shape’ hyoid bones are mostly big and thick, and the distance is longer between the back of the hyoid bone. A larger space in the piriform recess or the pharynx is necessary to be able to make a great resonance chamber.

(3)O shape:I sometimes see this kind of shape but its not so popular. The’O shape’ hyoid bone makes the resonance chamber small. The middle constrictor is often strained with this shape, because the back of the hyoid bone is located behind the back of the thyroid cartilage.

If you analyze the hyoid bone, you can know what kind of sound it can produce as well as how to improve your voice, because the voice quality or voice tone is different depends on for every individual and is based on the shape of the hyoid bone.
Please find out what the shape of your hyoid bone is.

Note:Nobody has the same shape of hyoid bone. For example, the right side curves to the right but the left side is straight, and the thickness/density varies between right and left.

If your throat is stiff, then the musculus extrinsic laryngis is obviously hardened.
The following photo shows when the throat is stiff.

The condition is as follows:
(1)The vocal cord and around the false vocal cord become engorged with blood(hyperemia)
(2)The vocal cord is swollen
(3) Vocalizing causes straining to the false vocal cord
(4) The arytenoid cartilageis is adducted significantly
(5) The shape of arytenoid cartilageis is not normal when adducting
(6)Bubble appears in throat because the vocal cords close tightly
(7)Decreased levels of mucus in the piriform recess (feeling of having phlegm in your throat, even when there is none)
(8)The resonance chamber of the laryngeal ventricle is diminished in size
If you keep letting out your voice with the above conditions, the edges of the vocal cord will touch together. This chafing or rubbing together of the vocal cords causes vocal nodules or polyps which will form around the area of the rubbing. This can lead to capillary damage in the vocal cords.
Furthermore, inactive muscles will make poor blood circulation in the superior laryngeal artery from the external carotid artery as well as reduce oxygen.
The following photo is the status of the external carotid artery.

The red circle is the superior laryngeal artery, and shows poor blood circulation.
If you keep letting out your voice with a stiff throat you will not only decrease the performance of vocalization, but also have many problems your the voice.
If you feel you may have the above mentioned symptoms, such as a daily stiffness in your throat, please fix this issue. You should see a throat specialist, rest your voice and also gargle with salt water.

The following conditions must be met to become a great Tenor Singer
(1) The thyroid cartilage must be wide
(2)The width of the larynx is larger compared to the width of the cervical spine
(3)It is wide between the thyrohyoid bones, and also the thyrohyoid membrane displays flexibility
(4)The cricothyroid articulation moves with ease
(5)The cricothyroid muscle is a larger/fat shape
(6)There is enough space between the thyroid cartilage and the cervical spine
(7)The pharyngeal cavity is big surrounding the hyoid bone
(8) The suprahyoid muscles move smoothly
(9)The muscle tendon junction of the hyoid bone is flexible
(10) The lateral pterygoid muscle moves smoothly
Of course, innate size or shape (based on the above conditions being met) can always make and show improvements to some porportions. Those methods to achieve improvements could be by exercising, and/or proper care or throat treatment by a voice care specialist or trainer.
Please make a great throat by being mindful of the mechanics and statuses of the throat. The more you understand the throat, the easier it will be to gain strong vocal control which will put you on the right path to becoming great tenor singer.

Note:Vocalization is the same with sports. With sports ‘exercise’ is required to get flexible and strong muscles – it is the same process and applied circumstances with vocalization.

A lot of singers struggle to take and hold a long extended breath.
There are two reason to make the issue as follows.(1)Breath
People can control breaths precisely. Only when the diaphragm, internal and the external intercostal muscles and the costovertebral joint work very well.
So many people have problems with moving the costovertebral joint. If the costovertebral joint does not move widely, it cannot move the diaphragm, This is because of an increase to the space in the pleural cavity.

The posterior region of the thorax: The costovertebral joint connects the ribs to the thoracic vertebra.

(2) The hardness of vocal cords
The hard vocal cord muscles cannot follow the cricothyroid muscle when it is moving quickly, because the cricothyroid articulation cannot extend correctly.
If a person stops vibrating the vocal cord, precisely making only the vocal folds vibrate, the sound produced becomes a falsetto.
Only taking in and releasing short breaths will also cease or lessen controlling the pitch of the brief sounds being made, because it is impossible for mucosa tissue to move by itself.
It is not true that people sometimes say, “If you let out your voice all the time, your vocal cords will subconsciously move by thenselvese automatically.”
For anyone who truly wishes to make their vocal cord muscles flexible to a superior degree, I would like to recommend you look into and take ultrasonic therapy for the thyroid cartilage and stretch the cricothyroid articulation.

The model of the vocal cord muscles and the mucosa.

People who can extend the vocal cord, and possess superior flexibly, when vocalizing with a high-pitched voice can take in and release a very long breath in both high and low pitch sounds.

Most people harden the omohyoid muscle, end up straining that muscle when vocalizing or having the issue of hypertonic phonation.
The omohyoid muscle is a really unique muscle. Its location is through the sternohyoid muscle and the scalene muscle, from the hyoid bone, and it is attached to the shoulder blade.
The omohyoid muscle a digastric muscle. Its role is to assist in pulling the hyoid bone down, tighten fascia and expand the internal jugular veins.
It is very difficult to find and feel the omohyoid muscle because it really thin.
However, the omohyoid muscle is defined and visible against the skin in people who vocalize that have hypertonic phonation.
If the omohyoid muscle hardens, the thyroid cartilage is pushed toward the cervical spine and down, it then becomes hardened to control the voice. Furthermore, it can cause stiff shoulders, because the omohyoid muscle directly affects the trapezius muscle.
I would like to introduce how to stretch the omohyoid muscle at this time.
You need someone’s help because it’s difficult to do by yourself.
First, turn your face/head to a 45 degree angle. Next, in the opposite direction (friend to assist you) pull back your shoulders to the side (one side at a time )you are targeting. Then, slowly tilt (not straight up or too far back, to keep good balance) your head back. Please be careful not to try to hurt your neck.

Ask your buddy to extend the muscles outside between the hyoid bone and the sternocleidomastoid muscle by using their finger pad.

Repeat this stretching exercise approximately 10 times total.
Finally, extend the muscles between the sternocleidomastoid muscle and the shoulder blade, and press strongly (similar a to deep tissue massage movement) especially around the shoulder.

If you can stretch properly, you can expect a positive outcome with having a good effect on the voice as well as letting out a smooth voice.
Please try it once – especially before singing.